Meatless Monday: Put some pizzazz in your potatoes!

Patricia Conte has a background in marketing communications and works as an independent writer. In 2010, she was given the opportunity to combine her love of writing and food when she started as a contributing writer for the Food channel...

Endless options for baked potatoes

Looking for some Meatless Monday ideas to start the week off right? Think baked potatoes are boring? Not if you pick the right toppings!

Baked potatoes are easy to fix, inexpensive and good for you (provided you don't add scale-tipping toppings)! You can make potatoes part of a great meal served with a side of fresh vegetables or a salad. Cutting back on meat, even one day a week, can have a positive impact on your health and the health of the planet. Visit Meatless Monday to learn more.

The folks at Meatless Monday posted this interestng feature from Time magazine: A Look at Food and American Identity at the National Archives. The history includes reflections on Meatless Monday during World Wars I & II.

Baked potatoes aren't paltry! Check out the USDA's nutritional facts assigned to one medium potato baked with its skin on:

Calories: 170

Total fat: 0

Cholesterol: 0

Sodium: 25 mg

Total carbohydrate: 37 g (12% of the Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet)

Sugars: 2 g

Dietary fiber: 4 g (16% of the Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet)

Protein: 5 g

Vitamin C: 35%

Calcium: 4%

Iron: 10%

Consider the following toppings to choose from the next time you ponder what to put on a baked potato:

Bell peppers

Black beans

Broccoli

Butter

Corn

Low-fat cheese, including cottage cheese

Low-fat sour cream

Low-fat ranch dressing

Low-fat blue cheese dressing

Mushrooms

Salsa

Spinach

Onions

Peas

Vegetarian chili

These two options make an easy, fun and filling meal!

It's all Greek loaded baked potatoes

Ingredients:

4 large baking potatoes

1/4 cup of low-fat milk

1/4 cup of low-fat sour cream

2 tablespoons of butter

1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced

1/4 cup of green onions, diced

1/4 cup of Greek olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

1 cup of prepared tzatiki sauce

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Ensure your potatoes are washed and dry. Pierce each potato with a fork and lightly brush the skins with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake them on a baking sheet until tender (about an hour).

After the potatoes are slightly cooled, cut each in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides of the potatoes into a medium-sized bowl. Your potato shell should be about 1/4-inch thick.

Mash the potato pulp and add the milk, sour cream, butter and pepper and stir together with a whisk. Carefully add 1/4 cup of the crumbled feta cheese.

Spoon the mixture back into the potato shells. Put the potatoes on a baking sheet and cook until they are heated through (about 15 minutes).

Sprinkle each warm potato evenly with the remaining 1/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese, cucumber, green onions and olives, and serve with tzatiki sauce on the side.

Basic twice baked potato

This is an easy dish to make that will have everyone asking for seconds!

Ingredients:

4 baked potatoes

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 to 1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, plus about 1/4 cup more for sprinkling on top

1 egg, beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Ensure your potatoes are washed and dry. Pierce each potato with a fork and lightly brush the skins with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

When the oven is ready, bake the potatoes on a baking sheet for about 50-60 minutes or until soft.

Once baked, slice about one inch off the top of the potatoes, horizontally. Carefully scoop out the inside of the potatoes into a medium-sized bowl, leaving the shell intact.

Mash the potato pulp with the butter, the 1/2 cup of cheese and the egg. Gradually add the milk to the mixture (start with 1/4 cup and add more if you think it needs to be smoother).

Scoop the mixture back into the potato shells and sprinkle with the cheese for garnishing.

Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Potatoes don't have to be served plain, fried or mashed. Put some pizzazz in your potatoes by making them more of a meal stuffed with terrific options!